Prof Jim Gallagher

Jim Gallagher holds the Derby Chair of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the University of Liverpool. Jim obtained his PhD from Cambridge on the metabolism of vitamin D under Eric Lawson. He undertook postdoctoral research in Herbie Fleisch's lab in Bern on bisphosphonates, then Graham Russell's lab in Sheffield where with Jon Beresford, he developed the first techniques to culture osteoblastic cells from human bone. In 1984 he was appointed to a lectureship at University College London (UCL) where he worked with Alan Boyde. He moved to Liverpool in 1986 and has undertaken short sabbaticals in Melbourne with Jack Martin working on PTHrP, and at Ciba-Geigy, Basle with Graeme Bilbe on gene expression in bone. Jim has published over 110 full peer-reviewed publications, 20 book chapters and 5 patents. He has supervised 25 PhD students, 8 of whom hold academic positions in UK universities. His group pioneered research on the role of extracellular nucleotides and P2 receptors in bone. Recently his laboratory has been investigating the mechanism of joint destruction in the inherited disease alkaptonuria. Jim has been a member of BRS/BATS since 1981, and gave his first presentation to the society at the annual meeting at UCL in that year.